Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship: Rory McIlroy’s close-ups, Collin Morikawa’s number one wishes and more | Golf news

McIlroy and world number one Collin Morikawa will lead the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first DP World Tour of 2022, and the first of five Rolex Series events; see the broadcast of the recommended groups live on Thursday at 3.30pm from Sky Sports Golf

Rory McIlroy is chasing the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship victory

Can Rory McIlroy finally win in Abu Dhabi after years of close-knit situations? We’ll take a look at some of the possible story lines to follow at the first DP World Tour of the year.

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is the first in a row of Rolex Series events and the start of a four-week “Middle East Swing” event where the top 10 of the world will play and the tournament will be held at Yas Links. for the first time in its history.

Is McIlroy making his breakthrough in Abu Dhabi?

McIlroy’s record in Abu Dhabi is, to say the least, impressive, although he never won the tournament, as the Northern Irish ranked second four times and secured four others in the top three during his previous 11 appearances.

McIlroy finished second after Martin Kaymer in 2011 and lost a shot to Robert Rock a year later before finishing second in 2014 and finishing second after Gary Stal in the 2015 race.

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Sky Sports will once again be home to live golf in 2022, with all four men’s and all five women’s major tournaments, as well as a record number of live PGA Tours, DP World Tours, LPGA Tours and Ladies European Tours.

The four-time big player threatened a breakthrough victory in last year’s event, but failed to turn the 54-hole lead into a virgin victory in the Rolex series, with 72 in the final round dropping to third and five strokes behind Tyrrell, the winner of the tournament. Hatton.

McIlroy has not won the DP World Tour since winning the WGC-HSBC Champions in November 2019, but enjoyed two wins on the PGA Tour last year, and the 32-year-old feels optimistic as he aspires to win. launches its 2022 campaign.

“I think every time you do it for the first time in a year, there’s new optimism, excitement and anticipation, and while this is going on my 15th or 16th year on the Tour, it’s no different,” McIlroy said at a news conference on Wednesday. before the tournament. “You’re excited about the start of the season, you want to get off to a good start.

“Historically, after the break, I started pretty well. I just want to try to continue this trend. I also think it’s great that we have that little winter break. I don’t feel as rusty as I’ve done in previous years because I put the rackets away for maybe two weeks, but then I played and I practiced before that.

“I just want to continue where I left off at the end of last year. I felt like I turned the corner after The Ryder Cup and played good golf for that part. I just want to try to continue what I am When I do it and I feel like I have a couple of nice swing ideas, try to get the scorers as far as I can and move on from there. “

Can Morikawa enjoy greater desert success?

The world number one is on his way to the Middle East for consecutive Rolex Series events, two months after he became the first American Race to Dubai winner to win the season-ending DP World Tour championship.

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Nick Dougherty and Andrew Coltart judged the best performance of the final round of the DP World Tour Championship in November 2021.

Morikawa’s victory in Dubai was one of three wins last season, and the 24-year-old also won the WGC-Workday Championship and The Open title, while the two-time champion still challenges Jon Rahm to the top of the world list. .

A steady fifth place finish in Hawaii’s Sentry Tournament of Champions this month continues the run, where he has finished as high as seventh in his last five global starts, and Morikawa was able to rise to number one in the world for the first time with a big performance. his Abu Dhabi debut.

Morikawa needs a win this week to become the fastest player after Tiger Woods, and is also demanding that Rahm be ranked in the top seven on The American Express’s PGA Tour.

Is Hatton successfully defending his title?

Hatton registered his sixth DP World Tour title and his fourth Rolex Series win at last year’s event. A brilliant six of his under-66 victories on the final day pulled him out of the chasing crowd and saw him finish four shots from the nearest challenger Jason Scrivener.

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The ups and downs of the last day in Abu Dhabi, where Tyrrell Hatton once again made a world-class performance to win four shots at McIlroy’s faltering

The Englishman added two second places in an impressive 2021 when he finished second on the PGA Tour in the Palmetto Championship and two shots behind Danny Willett in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – an event he has won twice.

Only two players have previously won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in a row, Kaymer won consecutively in 2010 and 2011, and Tommy Fleetwood successfully defended his title in 2018. Will Hatton become third?

How can I watch the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship?

Sky Sports has extensive coverage of the first DP World Tour of the year, and Featured Groups coverage is available from all four tournament rounds before six hours of full activity each day.

The recommended groups will be live during the first two rounds at 3:30 a.m. and at 5:00 a.m. on the weekend, with the main broadcast starting at 7 a.m. each day.

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship is one of four Sky Sports live golf tournaments this week, and The American Express, Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions and Latin America Amateur Championship are also available.

Watch Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship this week live from Sky Sports Golf!

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